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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



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HANNAH AND HER 

SEVEN SONS 




Tyranny. 



HANNAH AND HER 
SEVEN SONS 



AN INCIDENT OF THE PERSECUTION OF 

THE JEWS BY THE SYRIAN MONARCH 

ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES, 167 B.C. 



BY 

MINNIE DESSAU LOUIS 



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ILLUSTRATED BY 

ELMER E. CARLSON 



SECOND EDITION 



1903 

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR 

102 West 75th Street 

NEW YORK 



LIB^affV nf CONGRESS 

Two OoBies l?ereivetl 
OCT 18 1904 
/v Cooyrtgrht Entry 

CLASS <^,XXc. No. 

6OPY B 









Copyright, 1902, by 
MINNIE DESSAU LOUIS 



TROW PRINT, NEW YORK 



All is desolate and dark. To me there's 

no light 
Since they took from the world my 

treasures so bright. 
My children ! My children ! Beats 

yet my heart 
When all of its strings are thus riven 

apart ? 
Yet for Israel's God this suffering I 

bear. 
And would bear a greater, if greater 

there were. 

7 




All is desolate and dark. To me there's no light 
Since they took from the world my treasures so bright. 



Hannah and her Seven Sons 

Oh ! how the whole scene is burned into 
my brain ! 

I see the vile Syrians with faces hke 
Cain 

Rush over my threshold and ruthlessly 
seize 

All my seven fair sons, while I on my 
knees 

With tears and implorings beseech them 
to wait; 

—Hope whispers that time might avert 
their sad fate; 

I knew 'twas but yester the old scribe 
they slew. 

The old Eleazar to Israel so true, 

9 



Hannah and her Seven Sons 

On my knees I implore them to wait but 

a day ; 
They mock at my pleading ; then drag 

us away 
And cast us in prison ; but leave us not 

long; 
The Bigot his triumph will show to the 

throng. 

With wickedest pleasure he calls for the 

first 
Of my beautiful boys, the one that I 

nursed 
In the flush of my youth when Judea 

was free ; 



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Hannah and her Seven Sons 

— Oh God ! keep his heart firmly true 

unto Thee. — 
Ha ! The king commands homage to 

him and his gods. 
He looks up to Heaven, nor falter his 

words : 
" God forbid that homage to thee I 

should show ; 
Israel's God is my God ! To none else 

will I bow." 
They lead him to death, my first born ! 

my pride ! 
And now tear my second fair boy from 

my side 



12 



Hannah and her Seven Sons 

And place him in front of the con- 
queror's throne : 

— Thou wilt not, my son, thy religion 
disown. — 

His answer is ready ; he quick makes 
reply : 

" My brother bowed not, and no more 
will I ! " 

"Why not?'' asks the tyrant. ** Be- 
cause," says my boy. 

And his face grows resplendent with 
heavenly joy, 

" Our second commandment tells all, — 
even thee. 

No other gods shalt thou have before 



me. 



13 




♦* God forbid that homage to thee I should show ; 
Israel's God is my God ! To none else will I bow." 



Hannah and her Seven Sons 

Death follows his brave words. My 
third boy they take ; 

— Be still, my wild heart — not yet must 
thou break.— 

My third one ! My hero ! How prince- 
ly his port ! 

*' No other God shalt thou worship! is 
taught 

In my pure religion ; more gladly I 
meet 

The fate of my brothers than bow at 
thy feet." 

These proud words the death-blow as 
guerdon receive. 
15 




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Hannah and her Seven Sons 

My fourth boy they take ; will the 

tyrant achieve 
Any conquest over his soft, gentle 

heart ? 
— Fear not, my sweet son ! Bear brave- 
ly thy part ! — 
Yes! he too is faithful! He utters 

these words : 
" He that sacrificeth to all other gods 
Save the Lord only, shall be wholly 

destroyed." 
Alas ! he too is slain ! how widens the 

void 
In my sore-stricken heart. Ha ! now 

my fifth lad 

17 



Hannah and her Seven Sons 

They drag to the tyrant, who, already 

mad. 
Becomes doubly enraged at these words 

of my son : 
" Hear, O Israel ! The Lord our God, 

He is One ! " 

With this watch-word of faith he yields 
his young life. 

Now they come for my sixth. His 
spirit is rife 

With scorn and contempt for the des- 
pot's vain power ; 

Nor scourges nor threats will cause him 

to cower. 

i8 



Hannah and her Seven Sons 

"Why so obstinate?" asks the tyrant, 
more mild. 

— Waver not, my dear son, thou'rt 
Judea's true child ! — 

"Think/st thou Fm affrighted? My 
God is still here ; 

He is mighty and terrible ! Him only 
I fear ; 

And thou too wilt one day acknowl- 
edge His might. 

And suffer that thus thou hast usurped 
His right.'* 

They take him to death in his fresh, joy- 
ous youth, 

19 




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Hannah and her Seven Sons 

That thus he pronounces the stern words 
of truth. 

What horror is this? My youngest ye'll 

take ? 
My baby? My darling? Oh! for the 

sake 
Of the mother who bore you, spare me 

this son ! 
My six have ye murdered ! Will ye 

leave me not one ? 
They heed not my pleading, but drag 

him away ; 
Oh, Father of Heaven ! Is this but one 

day ? 

21 




LofC. 



Hannah and her Seven Sons 

But see! The base murd'rer speaks 

kindly to him. 
— My sweet precious child, do nothing 

to dim 
The lustre that shines from thy six 

brothers gone ; 
Be true to thy God e'en though thou'rt 

undone. — 
Now the king hands him treasure, and 

tells him to live. 
And promises all, if allegiance he'll give. 
See ! . Now does he cast his ring on the 

ground. 
Now shows him his dead brothers lying 

around 

23 



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Hannah and her Seven Sons 

And tells him their fate will be his if he 

dare 
Refuse to stoop for it.^ — Still lies the 

ring there ! 

'^Think'st thou that I fear thy threats?" 

says my boy ; 
" Our God is the great King of Kings ! 

Then why 
Should I give allegiance to other than 

He?" 
" If thy God is so great why saves He 

not thee 
From my power?" asks the king. 

** Because," he replies, 

25 



Hannah and her Seven Sons 

And in his young face a grandeur doth 

rise, 
" I am not worthy redemption from 

thee 
And thou art not worthy God's greatness 

to see." 
" Slay the kd like his brothers ! " the 

tyrant commands. 
Oh ! Cruel king, ere thou steepest thy 

hands 
In the blood of my little one, let me be 

slain. 

I cannot endure this mountain of pain. 

" Nay, thy own laws forbid," the tyrant 

doth say ; 

36 



Hannah and her Seven Sons 

" Sheep nor cow with its young shalt 

thou kill in one day." 
Oh! woe to thee, murd'rer, our laws to 

pervert! 
The God of our race will inflict thy 

desert. 

Come, my sweet angel I My lamb 1 

Ere we part. 
Come kiss thy poor mother ! Come 

nearer my heart ! 
— Oh courage ! — My dear one, tell 

Abraham there. 

My sacrifice hath his much exceeded ; 

where 

27 




*Tis for God's glory ; His will be done ! 



Hannah and her Seven Sons 

He built one altar I have built seven ! 

He offered one Isaac ; all mine have I 
given ! 

A little longer! A little longer! Fare- 
well, my son ! 

'Tis for God's glory; His will be done I 



There ! There are my children, my 

dear treasures, all ! 

They see me. And now they beckon 

and call 

29 




pi 

Yes ! Yes ! My Beloved ! I'm coming ! I come ! 



Hannah and her Seven Sons 

To come join them there in that beauti- 
ful place. 

Yes! Yes! My Beloved! quick, 
quick will I trace 

My steps to our house-top, and thou 
canst reach there 

And with thy strong arms draw me up 
through the air. 

We'll cheat the mad tyrant, and dwell 
in our home. 

Yes ! Yes ! My Beloved ! Vm 
coming ! I come ! 



"OCT 1< 



